The smoke has subsided, the dust settled and pockets of blue sky are appearing around Maitland after recent rainfalls. The heavens opened about 4pm Sunday with a total of 10 millimetres falling at Rutherford airport according to Weatherzone and the Bureau of Meteorology. More showers and storms were forecast for Tuesday. Despite the rain, level 1 water restrictions are still in force across the Lower Hunter. This means outdoor watering is only permitted before 10am and after 4pm and all hoses must have a trigger nozzle. The use of sprinklers is no longer allowed. A spokesperson for Hunter Water said the recent weekend rainfall is most welcome as the region continues to experience drought conditions. "While it has helped wet the catchment areas, the rainfall has not produced any stream flow to lift our dam levels," the spokesperson said. "Our total storage capacity remains just over 62 per cent. "We encourage everyone to continue to comply with Level 1 water restrictions and to save water around their homes by using four buckets of water less a day. "Simple things like reducing showers to four minutes, installing water efficient appliances and waiting for a full load before doing washing, can make a big difference." Day time temperatures are forecast to fluctuate over the next seven days with a top of 21 for Tuesday and 29 for Wednesday. Thursday is expected to reach a top of 32 and 31 degrees is forecast for Friday. A top of 26 is forecast for both Saturday and Sunday. For more information on water restrictions, visit www.hunterwater.com.au/restrictions